Somme100

July 1, 2016

Perth Poppies

Two days ago we opened another installation, the first in Mainland Scotland, of the weeping window at the Black Watch Museum in Perth. The site was chosen as having a perfect blend of Historical significance and architectural beauty. The sculpture is sited with the poppies pouring out of a corner turret on the Castle, cascading down onto the lawn below and visible, both close up and also across the park which edges the museum. I was very moved on our site visit to the museum to see how sensitively the Museum dealt with the First World war and was particularly struck with a preserved black kilt still encrusted with Flanders mud. The Museum are also creating their own installation with a wooden cross and poppy, as used on armistice day, placed in a fence to commemorate 100 years to the day each soldier from the regiment that died.

Today on the anniversary of the start of the Battle of the Somme, I am glad that we have been able to create the Poppies tour and carry on bringing the sculptures to the wider British Public.

The poppies are a reminder of the terrible cost of war; a warning, a plea to not let these lives have been wasted in vain and to search for ways to share and collaborate between peoples and not to descend into hate and warfare.